Mrs. Smith quickly adjusted her sitting posture, setting down her teacup and flashing a ladylike smile. She adjusted her dress, making sure she looked perfect in front of Jayce. "Hello Jayce, it's a pleasure to meet you."Jayce sat down across from her, a waitress quickly bringing him a cup of espresso. He took it with a slight nod, then turned to Mrs. Smith. "What would you like to discuss with me today?"Mrs. Smith reached for the gift basket next to her chair, an expensive gift basket wrapped in shimmering gold paper, with bright red ribbons. Inside the basket were luxury items: a bottle of expensive French wine, a box of fine Swiss chocolates, and a precious porcelain tea set. She held the basket out in front of Jayce, smiling meaningfully. "Here's a little gift from me, I hope you like it."Jayce accepted the gift basket with a gentle smile, his eyes scanning the basket before he placed it on the table. "Thank you, that's very thoughtful. I have a gift for you too." He placed a s

Tyler nodded, started the car and drove towards Mrs. Smith's house. Mrs. Smith sat silently, anger and humiliation filling her heart.When the car stopped in front of Mrs. Smith's house, Tyler opened the door and helped her out. She didn't say a word, just quietly walked into the house.In her luxurious bedroom, Charlotte couldn't sleep. Even though she had turned off the lights and was lying on the soft bed, her mind was constantly spinning with thoughts of Joseph. Memories and emotions intertwined, causing her to toss and turn.The dim light from the night light cast a pale glow on the wall, creating blurry shadows. The ticking of the wall clock was like Charlotte's heartbeat, each passing second seemed to drag on forever. She sighed, sat up, leaned her back against the headboard, her eyes wide open staring into space.In Charlotte's mind, images of Joseph and the woman he was about to remarry kept appearing. She remembered the day they divorced, when she saw Joseph with that woman,

Joseph looked straight into her eyes, trying to stay calm. "Charlotte, we're working right now. The past is irrelevant. We need to focus on work."Charlotte sneered, the sarcasm evident in her laughter. "You're always like this, aren't you? Cold and heartless. But do you know, Joseph? What hurts me the most is not that you left me, but that you lied to me about who you really are."Joseph kept his tone calm. "Charlotte, we're here to discuss the project. I suggest you sit down and calm down."Charlotte refused to budge, taking another step forward. "You pretended to be poor so that I would have to shoulder all the financial burden. Do you know how I felt? Do you know how hard I worked to take care of both of us?"Joseph took a deep breath, his eyes never leaving Charlotte. "Charlotte, I understand that you have a lot to say, but now is not the time. Sit down and we will continue to discuss work."Charlotte felt tears falling down her cheeks. "Don't you want to explain anything, Joseph

That night, the William family sat down to dinner in a tense atmosphere. Joseph could feel the pressure weighing down on him. He knew that Jayce would not miss the opportunity to tease him about the progress of the project."Joseph, how is it? How is the progress of the cooperation project with Afea?" Jayce asked, his voice full of sarcasm.Joseph looked at Jayce, trying to keep his composure. "The project is still progressing well, although there are some difficulties.""Good, Joseph. I hope you can handle everything well." Jayce chuckled, his eyes flashing with satisfaction."What's wrong, what are you guys talking about?"Just then, a hoarse voice suddenly interrupted the conversation.It was Norman.Norman was late for dinner as usual. He walked into the dining room, smiling and apologizing to everyone for being late. "Sorry, I'm late again. I hope I didn't miss anything important."The meal continued in a heavy atmosphere. Joseph didn't say anything more, but he knew in his heart

Charlotte sat on the sofa in the Smith family’s living room, staring intently at her mother, Mrs. Smith. Her gaze was filled with suspicion. Charlotte couldn't comprehend how her mother knew so much about Joseph. She decided she needed to press for clear answers to shed light on everything.Charlotte felt as if she was being pushed into an inescapable maze. She had heard from Jayce that Joseph was his younger brother. But her surprise grew when Mrs. Smith, whom she had always thought only knew about mundane daily matters, seemed very aware of Joseph’s wealth. Her skepticism grew larger by the moment.How could her mother know these things? Joseph wasn’t someone who appeared in the news or was famous enough for everyone to know. She recalled conversations with her mother, and just a day ago, her mother had criticized Joseph, saying he had no prospects and was poor. Why had her attitude changed so drastically now? A myriad of questions arose within Charlotte: Where had her mother heard